The Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, has paid an unannounced visit to Eritrea in what he said was an attempt to end the frosty relations between the two countries.

Reports say the visit, his first for five years, stunned many Eritreans.

They clapped and cheered as he left his motorcade and walked down the main street of the capital, Asmara, with the Eritrean leader, Isayas Afewerki.

President Bashir had brief talks with his Eritrean counterpart and top officials.

Improving relations

Relations between the two countries have been steadily improving since the downfall of the Sudanese parliamentary speaker and Islamist ideologue, Hassan al-Turabi.

Negotiations are under way to open borders and fully restore diplomatic ties, severed since 1995.

The two countries broke-off diplomatic ties following the attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the 1994 OAU summit in Addis Ababa.

The situation became further strained when Asmara began providing assistance to the Sudanese opposition group, the National Democratic Alliance.

The BBC correspondent in Asmara, Alex Last, says it is still not clear what impact the improving ties will have on Sudanese opposition groups, who are based in Asmara.

Representatives of the groups say there is no change in their position.

Sudan has also been seeking to repair relations with other regional countries in recent months, including Egypt and Uganda.